Friday, April 30, 2004

Going To Madrid Tomorrow

Just a short note to say that I am spending Saturday to Tuesday in Madrid. The building that houses The Moving Picture Company is an old, yet refurbished, Soho classic and I think the rapid expansion of the company in recent months has burst the seems! Lucky for me they have to shut the whole thing down and figure out the power situation. So, I am off to enjoy a bit more of the Spanish spring time while I can and I will be back to work on wednesday.

Thursday, April 29, 2004

New Address in London (I am moving soon!)

As of the first of June I will be living here:

Flat #2 - 33 Museum Street
London, United Kingdom, WC1A 1LH

My new room mates are Jean-Paul Rovela a.k.a. "The Black Pepper" and Andre "DD" Brizzard. A couple of crazy Frenchmen (J-P from Paris, and DD from Arles) whom I have gotten to know well while working at The Moving Picture Company. A room became available in their flat, which is quite nice, and I jumped at the opportunity. There are three floors, a nice living room and a roof terrace that overlooks the courtyard entrance to the British Museum. The location is great because it is still quite close to the studio, being about a 10-15 minute walk, but it is a might quieter than my current location and nicely removed from "the walking wounded" in the center of Soho! It is a good combination of economy and living I think, as well as having the added social advantage of being a spectator to the goings on of the crazy Frenchies! I look forward to the good times! Bon chance, mes amis, Le Canadien vient bientôt!

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

The Thin Man (a review of Kill Bill Vol.1 & 2)

I saw the second and final installment of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill last night. Although I enjoyed it, possibly more so than Volume One, I couldn't help but come away from the movie feeling there was something missing. It felt thin. But, perhaps I was partly guilty for having higher expectations than were appropriate. That mystical feeling so frequently delivered by the man born to take lurid, pulp films into the lime light was somehow absent. I missed the "intrusion of the bizarre" propelling the story and the connections made to characters through their dialogue. In place of these things was a world of filmic conventions (albeit ones not familiar to a westernized audience perhaps) layer upon layer where as Peter Bradshaw aptly put it: "everything happens in a weightless comic-book universe where the normal rules of physical existence have been abolished, or at any rate extensively modified. It's a world in which international travel and the purchase of new cars may be achieved without money, a world where people can ascend six feet unaided through an earth pit, where they can fire guns indoors without disturbing a sleeping child in the next room."

To be sure, the films are a visual feast. They are as inventive as they are referential. Enigmatic as they are concrete. For example, I love the in your face odes to Sergio Leone in Volume Two, and the "look at how much further animation can take the audience" prompted by Volume One's use of animation "to show something that could not otherwise be shown." As well as the feeling of utter dumbfounded shock as Tarantino holds you in darkness while the heroine's coffin is lowered into its deep grave having nothing but the horrid sound track to guide you. Lurid, for certain, but so stylised it si absurd. This is when Tarantino is at his best. Taking something to the absurd, yet in some extraordinary way, retaining believeability. The cinematography can hardly be faulted. It is as rich in detail and nuance as it is commanding of the simple and straight forward. And that is also true of nearly every other technical and artistic aspect. Indeed, some images are nothing short of arresting.

Volume 2 definitely benefits from an emphasis on drama and character development, thus resulting in a reduction in the violent escapades that featured so strongly in Volume One (mind you the removing of Elle's (Daryl Hannah) second eyeball is a grotesque flourish in the extreme). But, in so doing Volume Two merely exposed that there was really very little there dramatically, and the film lost momentum and purpose as a result. A fate not suffered by the first film in that there was so much happening by way of choreography that it created a true imersive environment that did not allow you to ponder motives. Good thing as the only motives present are revenge and insanity - thus the flatness and brevity of the ending in Volume Two.

What I can't help feeling is that Tarantino's is using this overtly visual format to express a flourishing interest in montage. Montage not only in a dramatic visual sense, but also in how one may tell a story. Quickly jumping back and forth across cuts as he does from comedic to horrific to dramatic modes of conveying the story. This above all was the highlight for me from Kill Bill as a whole, even though it threatened to bring down the house around him at every change of scene. Sometimes this alone was thrilling. A master work, no, but certain to be influential in western film making. At best, I think it may become one of those films I return to frequently precisely because it is troubling and intriguing cinema.

Sunday, April 25, 2004

The Man From Amsterdam

Well, not exactly. More like Barcelona, although he is arriving from Amsterdam! Jordi Legarre arrives this evening for a visit to London. He is a friend of ours from Madrid who we met through Marie-Laure Nguyen while I was at ESC Entertainment working on Matrix: Revolutions. He is an animator at a little visual effects shop in Madrid called Miopia. When I arrived in Madrid, Marie-Laure thought it would be a good idea for me to know someone there, and so she introduced us via email. Jordi has been taking English classes from Meg as well. He'll get lots of practice this week! Though, I have to say that you could have sworn that I was in Madrid from the amount of Spanish I heard in the street yesterday. I guess for years and years, there have been a ton of Brits heading to Spain (apparently more per year than any other EU nation including Germany) and now there are more and more Spaniards venturing to London for work and what not as their exposure to English keeps increasing. Well, I hope Jordi has a good time, and especially so if the weather holds up! Perhaps it will be a chance to see something myself as well!

In Green Sort of Mood

I suppose that the title implies I am jealous about something, but in fact, it is all about my new colour scheme! I painstakingly edited the html template for my blog (ugh...) so let me know what you think! I hope it is a little more subdued, yet still readable.

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Back at The Moving Picture Company

I have arrived back in London to begin work on Alien Versus Predator. Sure to be well... ahem... a towering example of modern cinema. But I digress. Looks like it is going to be a fun show to work on: lots of mayhem and a pretty short time line, but the client seems eager to get it done simply and ALIENS ARE ALWAYS COOL MAN!

I had a pretty nice time off in Madrid. Meg had moved us to our new pad sharing with a friend of hers named Maria, so it was good to get settled and a little more used to the neighborhood (north in the north of Madrid on the edge of Chamberi). It was good to get to know Maria a bit as well. She is pursuing a career as a journalist. Meg was quite busy with school and work, so we mostly saw each other in the evenings and for lunch occasionally. This gave me ample chance to get out on the bike which was great as you can tell from the last few posts. I feel a little fitter and healthier now, so I hope I can continue that trend into the summer rowing season here and participate in some events!

Sunday, April 18, 2004

Mystic River

Whow. What a great film. Clint Eastwood is truly a master film maker now. I had read quite a lot about it, but for some reason, it has taken this long to get an opportunity to see it! With such a strong cast, I was amazed by how subtle, and believeable the performances were. Especially considering such melodramatic subject matter. The subject of the film -- a grizzly murder of a 19 year old daughter in a neighbourhood where she has lived all her life, is never simplified and is always left raw, and treated with such respect and solemnity that you could swear these were real events, not a facsimile. Eastwood's direction shows a thought process and attentiveness not seen from him since Unforgiven. He doesn't so much direct with a heavy handed style as merely try to represent the perspectives of the characters as mulitple, complex, changing and ultimately strong and fragile in the same moment. Highly recommended.

La Vuelta del Norte (con Patricio)

Yesterday, after some tastey breakfast treats and coffee, Patrick and I headed out on the bikes north of Madrid for what turned out to be a brilliant, though challenging (for me) ride. 102kms round trip and with a considerable amount of time spent climbing up to the town of Hoyo de Manzanares, near El Escorial, in the foothills of the Sierras. It is amazing how the mountains can affect the climate. In the city, it was a fairly warm morning, with a bit of cloud cover helping to keep in the heat. As we headed out, I kept my shell jacket on to warm myself up, and by the time we reached 25kms away from the city I was sure glad I had brought it with me as there was a brisk cool wind blowing down off the Sierras. I kept it on for the remainder of the ride! So much for blistering spring temperatures in Madrid! The latter half of the ride was a bit of a inter-urban struggle back through the subdivisions and developments north of the city, so I won't say much about that. However, the first half of the ride was brilliant. It took a mere 15 minutes or so to hit a "calletera" similar to that of the one I usually ride south to San Martin de la Vega and we road that north for 25kms or so stretching out to a good rhythm (though passed by several groups of riders, ha!) and before we knew it we were passing through Colmenar Viejo. We then took a little rural road through Parque de las Colinas that featured a serpentine descent and ascent of a little river gourge that was truly a glimpse of a perfect Castillian landscape amidst the foothills of the Sierras. Preciosa! I just had to stop to take a photo or two - much to Patrick's amusement! It was great to get a little elevation and look back on the city from afar. Little rock walls, sheep herding, and that ever present Castillian rocky scrub pine forest surrounded us for much of the first 2 and a half hours. 60kms had passed before we had even thought of a break! I returned home quite exhausted to find Meg and Maria just about ready for lunch - que suerte! So we had a chance to chat and eat together before we all collapsed into one form of siesta ot other. Me from my ride, Meg from her trip to the gym, and Maria from "burning the night down!" as the Madrileños make a habit of on a friday night!

Thursday, April 15, 2004

Mi Cumpleaños!

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes yesterday! Old Man Walsh got a little older - though I might try to deny it, the past few days of riding have given me a fairly hefty reality check! Where did all the power go!? I wonder, did I leave it under my desk in London???

I started "my day" with a good long sleep in, and then walked into town to meet Megcita for lunch at Plaza Olavide (which incidentally is my favourite haunt in Madrid of late). We had a nice long lunch in a very sunny spot, with good food, and of course "una caña de cerveca." Meg studied her Spanish homework and did some class preparation and I studied a little Spanish before returning to the book I am reading. Meg went into work for a bit and I lounged about before we walked home together in the gorgeous late afternoon sun. We met up with Maria (our roomate) who had just returned from her Semana Santa holidays in Puerto de Santa Maria (near Cadiz) and headed out to a tapas bar in the O'Donnel area recommended by Bart Boere. Great tapas, a liberal smapling of "vino tinto" and of course great conversation was had by all. It is truly the one great thing about Madrid. How the tapas bars are so lively and casual, with a good crowd, and inclusive to anyone walking in off the street. Everytime, without fail when the door opened and a new face appeared the bar keeps called out "¡Hola! Buenos noches!" All in all, a really fun and relaxing day! Don't I wish every day was like this one!!! Meggi has promised me dinner and a movie for tomorrow night so the celebrations still carry on!

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

La Vuelta de Chinchón!

The past few days have featured well over 200 kilometers of riding in the countryside around Madrid. It has been great to string a few days together, and now that I am a little tired, I have decided to lounge the day away on my birthday in the city. I will try to get some reading in, and meet Megcita for lunch after her class. Yesterday, I gathered the ambition to ride what I have called "La Vuelta de Chinchón." Basically, a return trip to a pretty little hilltop town with a great Plaza Mayor about 55 kilometers south of Madrid. It features about 8kms of "exit riding," sort of like heading out of Vancouver through Richmond, which is followed by 20kms of great "cyclists only" calletera to San Martín de la Vega, and then from there a few rural roads that take you up to Chinchón via some fairly challenging hills (for us clydesdales at any rate!) but with nice views of the surrounding countryside. I had made a pretty good push up to the town (made it in leass than 2 hours!) so I decided I would stay a bit, enjoy the free time at my disposal, and read while enjoying a snack outside one of the tabernas. A great idea. It was sunny but not too warm, and really relaxing. I could have stayed for hours. As I headed back out towards home, I was looking forward to the cruise back into Madrid which for the most part is downhill or flat. You see, the ride to Chinchón is supposed to be the challenge, and the ride back a bit of an endurance builder, however, yesterday I soon realised that there was a murderous head wind blowing right into my face. The next 20-25kms were a real grind. The flats became hills. In fact, they were worse than the hills. Trucks that blew past weren't even making a dent in the wind. It reminded me of the day Meg and I encoutered a true French Mistral going from Lagrasse to Carcassonne. A little 40km valley ride that turned into a gruelling test of endurance and fortitude (not to mention our relationship)! By the time I reached San Martín de la Vega I was begging for mercey and luckily my favourite little cafe was open and served me up a rejuvenating "cafe con leche." I don't think I would have made it home without it! Sitting in that cafe, with all the old dudes smokin' their brains out, is pretty funny, but it seems to be where a lot of the "cyclismos" congregate on the weekends, so it has become a favourite of mine as well. I arrived home very beat, but very happy! I can only hope that my "VO2 Max" has taken a "Lance Armstrong-like" quantum leap!

New Address in Madrid

Shawn Walsh and Meg Peñafiel
36 Avenida Reina Victoria
Piso 1D
Madrid, España
28003

Saturday, April 10, 2004

Spring Break in Madrid

Well, a short one just to say that I'm having a blast being back in Madrid. I have had a chance to get caught up on some much needed shut-eye because things have been incredibly quiet in the city with the Semana Santa holiday weekend taking a lot of Madrileños "afuera de la ciudad." Yesterday we tried mostly in vain to take in some of the Easter Processions, but honestly it was not all too interesting for a non-religious bloke such as myself and I was all too happy to take in a flick instead - especially because the clear skies and blustering wind made spending the day outside in the street a fairly chilly affair! Most of the smart locals in their full winter coats faired better than I did. Still, very bizarre behaviour on behalf of the processionals with their strange cloaks and garments. I snapped a few photos of the costumes. We had a nice day today that started at Meg's new gym which is fantastic and very close to the school where she works, and then lunch at a great vegetarian restaurant on calle Malasaña before heading home to take care of some business. Dinner with Elen and Bart was as tastey, of course, and then heading out for a drink and great conversation with Colm and Liz was really refreshing. Now I am for the bed as I have a ride planned with Bart tomorrow! actually later today as it is late in the evening!

Tuesday, April 06, 2004

Off to Madrid until April 21st

Just a quick note to say that I am off to Madrid tomorrow early in the day. As we say in the biz: shots are never really finished they are only abandoned! And thus, I have been released from the clutches of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! I am really looking forward to the break, hanging out with Megcita, eating properly, getting a little exercise, and catching up on a lot of missed sleep!!! HP3 was a pretty challenging and fun job overall from my perspective. I worked mostly on a few sequences that feature the Whomping Willow, although I didn't get too intimate with the beast. I began on the project by doing a lot of general lighting technical direction on the environments - the Scottish highlands recreated in full 3D glory - and then progressed to lighting on a slew of shots set on a gloomy night that included the Whomping Willow in one way or another. I assembled scenes, laid out props, created lighting and shading set ups to suite the lighting direction, and even composited a shot (or two) towards the end of the show when the compositing department got swamped. These days the "illumination" of a shot is so tied to both the 2D and 3D worlds that I can not imagine being a good lighting technical director without getting my hands dirty compositing shots as well. It is such a close relationship between lighting and compositing, they inform each other so much at every stage, I think especially for all CG or nearly all CG work the composite is often better left in the TD's hands if the TD can get the job done. We'll see how this current impression changes with time. But it is clearly the way a lot of studios are going.

Monday, April 05, 2004

The Curzon Cinemas

I think I have found a new favorite haunt! The Curzon Soho (see the link on the side bar!) is just a couple of blocks from my flat on Bateman St. But, before last night I had not been to see a film there so it was a pleasant surprise indeed to find out that this cinema is so funky and cool! It first opened its doors on Shaftesbury Avenue shortly after WW2 as "The Columbus Cinema" and remained largely the same until 1998 when it was renovated to become the current three screen art house. It has a really sharp modern aesthetic now that suits a cinema well with ample "hangin' while waitin' spaces." There is a great little street level cafe at the entrance and a bar in the main lobby down stairs where you can have a "proper drink" and chill out with your mates prior to your evening's chosen entertainment! It is places like this that reinforce my belief that the colossal blemishes on the urban landscape we call "the multiplex" in Canada with their cluttered "neon-consumer-explosion" aesthetic appear grotesque by comparison. Perhaps when I open my own cinema...

I saw Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams. It more or less lived up to the press I had read and the billing by friends who had seen it. The only thing I thought was not in the spirit of the film was the rather heavy handed voice over at the end of the film as the dying Paul (Sean Penn) reflects on the weight of the human soul. It was obviously unnecessary and possibly added due to the American backing of the film. What I loved about the film is the fact that it is true cinema. What I mean by that is that although the essential guts of the story could have been told in another medium the method in which they are told could only be exhibited as a film. The discontinuous nature of the editing of mere vignettes in time that in their shuffled arrangement somehow begin to coalesce as you gain more and more information is masterful work and can only be related by actually sitting through the experience. I was really blown away at times by how risky and tenuous an editorial style it presents. Thrilling as the method was (which shares similarity to the director's previous film Amores Perros) the acting was all the more so. There is not a moment of unconvincing overly contrived action.

Sunday, April 04, 2004

Another Incident in Madrid!

Well, as I am sure many of you know, there was another terrorist related incident in Madrid. It happened as police closed in on "suspects" in Leganes (quite far from the center of Madrid, so I was never concerned about Meg thankfully). Clearly the police "had the right guys" because when they evacuated the block, and cornered them, they tried to take the building down with them killing themselves, one policeman, and injuring others. I can not describe how this makes me feel because it is so outside the frame of reference for "a dude from Vancouver." A little angry, confused, sad, and worried to begin with... Adding to the bizarre feelings is that my thoughts of Madrid are so disassociated with this craziness. They are of entirely pleasant times and immersion in a foreign culture, and in an endearing city that grows on you as you come to know it. As you may imagine, a lot of folks have asked me how this will affect Meg and I's plans. For the moment, the only correct answer is really that we don't know - how can you know? And that it has not changed anything at this time. In talking to Spanish friends at The Moving Picture Company I have come to the conclusion about one thing, however. Given Spain's aging population and none too spectacular track record with respect to immigration there is a concern about people in Spain retreating from the current trend towards more open immigration. This will be a shame because Spain needs immigration to thrive and there are so many deserving individuals who could take advantage of Spain's relative wealth in the world. If the people of Spain do change their attitudes this will surely be one "accomplishment" of the terrorist acts.

Nos vemos pronto amigo Marco!

Well, I am a little sad today as one of my new friends from The Moving Picture Company, Marco Iozzi, is returning to Italy to work after spending the majority of the past year in London working on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as a Colour and Lighting Technical Director. Marco and I have become fast friends. Intelligent and fun loving, Marco was a real delight to have around the studio, always cracking jokes and calling me "the bastardo Canadiense." With Marco's assistance, I was able to get a regular group of "Goodfellas" together most afternoons to take a break from the grind, and go for a coffee at Caffe Zilli on Brewer Street. We had some great conversations, even if Johnny and his growing "Pavarotti Project" were incoherent and hyper active most afternoons, Kissbalaz was "talking craps" that no-one understood, and The Black Pepper was embroiled in his British Museum soap opera!!! As a parting gift, I gave Marco a copy of Bruce Robinson's towering classic of British cinema "Withnail and I" so that he can remember fondly the real Londoners! We will all miss the Pequeno Italiano de Verese!!!

Nosotros lo deseamos buena suerte!
Ciao Marco!

Saturday, April 03, 2004

The Streets Are Alive...

Wow, what a difference a week or two makes. This week Soho felt like a different place (aside from the ever present smells of what can only be politely described as "bodily effluent") with so many more people out in the streets surrounding the pubs, and the pubs themselves looking a little more cheery as their flower baskets come into spring colour. Throughout the year thus far (i.e. since I arrived in January) I can only remember the odd brave soul standing outside a pub with pint in hand bracing against the cold and damp (usually yelling into a mobile phone), but since the St. Patrick's Day gatherings the streets have steadily gained a more lively appeal. Soho is always lively, of course, with all the "weekenders" in the center of town for a piss-up, but I am speaking more of the regular apres travail crowd getting out for a pint before they head off home. Last night was particularly fun because for a lot of the work crowd it was last day on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! So there were a lot of folks out celebrating.

I am happy today mostly because in just four days I am off to see "my lovely" in Madrid! The past four weeks have been very packed and have flown by, but I miss my gal more than ever!!! I am looking forward to some great relaxing spring days in one of the great cities of Europe and just getting caught up! I am anxious to see how the mood of the city has changed since the reality of the bombings that occurred just after I was last there.

Also, I am happy to report that Friday featured my first ever "film final" as a compositor! I had taken on the composite of a fairly ambitious nearly all-CGI shot (that I had done all the Lighting TD work on as well) featuring the Whomping Willow peering out of the darkness and gloom surrounding Hogwart's on the edge of The Dark Forest. To be honest, things got off to a rather funny start! I submitted my first daily in an extraordinarily hasty manner and the results looked a little more like "Harry Potter and the Technicolour Dream Coat!" than the afore mentioned dramatic lighting scenario... But I plodded away nonetheless and the shot really came around. It is amazing what all those crappy little video resolution composites I have done over the past eight years can teach you! Mostly what NOT to do... I have one more short little shot to composite for the film and I will be done! I will save any further reflections on the project for a latter date. In the meantime, there's a link to the official website on the side bar.

Thanks to Michaele and Christine for the early birthday present in the mail! A classic black t-shirt adorned with an image of the famous (in my mind at any rate) Calabria Caffe on Commercial Drive in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia - my home of homes! Little did they know that Frank Senior, upon hearing I was going to Europe, presented me with the very same t-shirt! "Even in Italy, there is no caffe like this one!" It wouldn't be quite right for a zealot like myself to be in possession of only one Calabria Caffe t-shirt now would it!? The package also included, of course, recent info on the Vancouver housing market. Mike's newest motto: The stock market is for Economics Ph.D.s and losers!

Friday, April 02, 2004

Bring on the Blog!

Well, as this is my first ever posting I really don't have anything to say of importance - just thanks to Neil and Kat for exposing me to this nifty internet communication tool! I hope I keep it up over the coming months! Ciao!